1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a scroll key for performing a scroll function, such as scrolling through menus in portable electronic devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a scroll key integrally comprising therein a function selecting switch that can scroll menus and also select a function to, for example, scroll other menus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable electronic devices, such as camcorders, usually comprise a scroll key capable of performing both a scroll function and an enter function. The scroll function is for moving a cursor, on a display screen, for selecting one of various functions of menus displayed on the display screen, and the enter function is for confirming a specific menu choice that the cursor indicates. A function selecting switch may be further adapted to select one from two predetermined functions. FIG. 1 shows an exemplary switch assembly having the scroll key and the function selecting switch.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional switch assembly 1 having a scroll key comprises a circuit board 3 on which a predetermined circuit is formed, a scroll key switch 10 having both the scroll function and the enter function, a tact switch 20, which is the function selecting switch for conversion of functions to scroll, and a button 21 for pressing the tact switch 20.
The scroll key switch 10 comprises a rotation knob 11 rotating about an axis 12 that can be pressed toward the axis 12 by a certain distance, and a body part 13 supporting the rotation of the rotation knob 11, thereby performing the scroll function. The body part 13 also performs the enter function when the rotation knob 11 is pressed toward the axis 12. The scroll key switch 10 is mounted on the circuit board 3 in such a manner that the rotation axis 12 is perpendicular to the circuit board 3, and such that the rotation knob 11 can rotate parallel with the circuit board 3.
The tact switch 20 is fixed onto the circuit board 3, and is typically disposed below the scroll key switch 10. The button 21 is used to press the tact switch 20, and is fixed separately on an outer part, such as a casing 40, of a part where the switch assembly 1 is mounted, such that one end of the button 21 can press the tact switch 20. A connector 30 is used to connect the switch assembly 1 to a controller (not shown) of the portable electronic device, such as the camcorder.
Operation of the above-structured switch assembly having the scroll key will be described hereinbelow.
For the purpose of this discussion, the switch assembly 1 having the scroll key is assumed to be used as a manual focusing key and a menu selection key. The manual focusing key manually controls the focus of a lens in the camcorder, and the menu selection key selects the menu on the screen displayed on the display panel.
When a user wants manual control of focus of the camcorder lens, the user can press button 21. The controller perceives the scroll key switch 10 to be the manual focusing key, and the user can then focus the lens by rotating clockwise and counter-clockwise the rotation knob 11 of the scroll key switch 10.
If the user wants to select a specific menu in the menu screen displayed on the display panel, the user re-presses button 21. The controller then perceives the scroll key switch 10 to be the menu selection key for moving the cursor. By rotating the rotation knob 11 of the scroll key switch 10, the cursor for selecting the menu is moved from one menu to another menu. The moving direction of the cursor is determined by the rotating direction of the rotation knob 11. After placing the cursor on a desired menu by rotating the rotation knob 11, if the user presses the rotation knob 11, the enter function is performed to confirm selection of the desired menu. The button 21 is used for selecting a desired function, and the scroll key switch 10 is used for performing the scroll function with respect to the selected function.
In the conventional switch assembly 1 having the scroll key, however, the rotation knob 11 of the scroll key switch 10 is mounted parallel with the circuit board 3. The button 21 for pressing the tact switch 20 is mounted on a separate part. Therefore, miniaturization of the portable electronic device becomes difficult. Furthermore, the separately mounted button 21 for the tact switch 20 is not space-effective, making assembly of the conventional switch assembly more difficult.